Magnetic separator.



No. 801,947. PATENTED 00T. 17, 1905.

J. P. WETHERILL & H. A. J. WILKENS.

MAGNETIC SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.18, 1897.

Ammsw s ummm co., vuoto-mmosmwms. wnsnmsrou u c UNITED STATES 4PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN PRICE VVETHERILL, VOF SOUTH BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, AND HENRY A. J. VVILKENS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO WETHERILL SEPARATING COMPANY, A CORPORA- TION OF NE7 JERSEY.

MAGNETIC SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1905.

Application iiled December 18, 1897. Serial No. 662,397.

To all Ll/77,0717, it mfr/ 7] concern.'

Be it known that we, J oHN PRICE WETH- ERiLL, residing at South Bethlehem, in the county of Northampton, State of Pennsylvania, and HENRY A. J. WILKnNs, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Magnetic Separators; and we do hereby declare the following to be' a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In Letters Patent of the United States No. 552,7 92, granted to John Price Vetherill under date of March 3, 1896, for improvements in methods of and apparatus for magnetic separation, there is described and claimed a method of separating substances of relatively slight magnetic susceptibility or permeability from a mixture containing them, consisting in bringing the mingled materials into a highly condensed or concentrated magnetic field and deiiecting said materials of slight magnetic susceptibility while under the influence of the highly condensed field into a path of movement different from that of the particles constituting the rest of the mixture.

Our present invention relates to improvements in magnetic separation of this general character, and has in view particularly the production of an apparatus of greater capacity of output for the same amount of electric energy consumed and which will give a more thoroughand cleaner separation of the several mineral constituents of the ore or other mixture under treatment, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of an apparatus embodying our improvements. Fig. 2 represents an end elevation thereof partly in section.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in both views.

Referring to the drawings, P indicates the framework of the apparatus, of ,any suitable and substantial construction, upon and within which are mounted the operating parts.

A indicates the feed-hopper, provided with a discharge-chute B and having the customary feed-roller C, for discharging a regulated and predetermined layer of the material to be separated upon the feed-belt D, upon which the material is conveyed in a thin layer to the first of the series of separating-magnets.

The feed-belt D is driven from a drum upon the shai' t S and at its forward end passes around a roller J, of brass or other non-magnetic material, which roller is adjustable toward and from the polar points of the proximate magnet F. At the discharge end of the conveyer-belt D is located a chute H, discharging upon a second conveyer-belt D,driven by a drum upon the shaft S and passing over the non-magnetic roller J arranged in close proximity to the polar points of the magnet F and having at its discharge end a chute HQ as shown. In like manner further feed-belts D2 and D3 may be provided, driven from drums upon the shafts S2 and S3 and passing over `non-magnetic rollers J 2 J 3, arranged in close proximity to the polar points of the magnets Fzand G. Beyond each of the chutes H H H2 H3 is arranged a second chute I I I2 I3 for a purpose hereinafter to be described.

Extending longitudinally of the frame is arranged the endless cleaner-belt E, operated from a drum upon the shaft M and passing over a second drum L, the slack of said cleanerbelt being adapted to be taken up by mounting the bearings of said latter drum adjustably in guideways, as indicated in Fig. l. The cleaner-belt passes along in close proximity to the pointed pole ends of the magnets F F F2 Gr, as indicated, the idle rollers K preventing it from sagging.

The magnets are of the same type as those shown in the aforesaid patent to John Price VVetherill and in vhis similar patent of like date, No. 555,794-that is, the polar extremities of the magnets are tapered so as to cause a high degree of condensation or concentration of the magnetic field at the interval or gap between the polar surfaces. The windings of the several magnets and the sizes of the magnet-cores are relatively so arranged that the magnets shall have preferably a successively increasing power adapted to the particular constituents which it is desired to separate in any particular instance. They are also made adjustable horizontally and vertically by means of hangers, as indicated, for one of the magnets at Q. The chutes I I I2 IOO I3 are likewise adapted to be adjusted vertically and horizontally, according to the exigencies of the case. The motive power for the apparatus may be communicated thereto by means of the belt-pulley N, which in turn, through suitable belting, as shown, communicates motion to the driving-pulleys O O O2 O3 and to a pulley upon the shaft M.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The ore or other material constituting a mixture containing particles of low magnetic susceptibility is fed in a finely-crushed condition from the hopper A through the chute B upon the feed-belt D in a shallow layer. W hen the material enters the highly condensed or concentrated field established by the pointed poles of the magnet F, that: portion of it which is susceptible to attraction by the concentrated field of the magnet is lifted away from the remaining ingredients of the mixture and is brought into contact with the lower surface of the cleaner-belt E, which thereupon immediately carries the attracted particles out of the concentrated field and in the direction of travel of the main body of the ore. As soon as the attracted particles are thus carried out of the concentrated field they drop by gravity into the chute I, from which they pass to a convenient place of storage or collection. The unattracted particles are carried over the roller J and pass through the chute H, which discharges them upon the feed-belt D, which in its turn conveys the material to the second magnet F', having a concentrated field of' greater intensity. At this second magnet F particles of lower magnetic susceptibility are separated and immediately received and carried off by the chute 1. The remainder of the material is then discharged through the chute H2 upon the feed-belt D2, which conveys vit to the magnet F2, where particles of still lower magnetic susceptibility are separated and immediately thereafter received and carried ofl' by the chute I2. Finally, the remaining material is deposited upon the feed-belt D3 through the chute H2 and is conveyed to the final magnet G, where the material of the lowest magnetic susceptibility is separated and immediately carried off and collected through the chute 13, the residue passing through the chutel-I3 as tailings. The apparatus is thus adapted for passing the material through several fields of different magnetic intensity upon the same machine in a continuous operation. It is evident, however, that the magnetic intensity of the several magnets may be practically the same where the material to be separated is of substantially the same magnetic susceptibility, inwhich case a characteristic advantageof the apparatus is due tothe fact that in passing from one feed-belt to the other the material is turned over and rearranged, so that in approaching each succeeding magnet the feed-belts D', D2, and D3 of successively diminished diameters, so that as the ore layer in its progress through the machines becomes gradually poorer in percentage of magnetic material it approaches the magnetic field at less velocity, whereby a more perfect and complete separation is attained.

It will be noted that, inasmuch as the cleaner- I belt moves in the same direction as the path of travel of the ore layer, each particle of the magnetized material is separately and immediately moved out of the condensed field, thereby leaving the non-magnetic material immediately and avoiding the accumulation and successive transfer of the magnetic particles across the whole width of the feed-belt, which is characteristic of the apparatus described in the aforesaid patent, No. 555,794. In this respect the apparatus is an improvement upon Patent No. 555,794 in addition to the consideration that in said patent the speed with which the feed-.belt can be run, and therefore the capacity of the machine, is limited to the speed at which the material of the lowest magnetic susceptibility can be thoroughly withdrawn by the final magnet, whereas in the present instance, as has been hereinbefore pointed out, a far greater capacity of output is obtained, because of the opportunity presented of operating the several feed-belts at speeds commensurate with the particular workwhich the individual magnets are adapted to perform upon the ore layer as it becomes successively poorer and poorer in percentage of magnetizable material.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is* 1. A magnetic separator for materials of low magnetic susceptibility, comprisinga series ofy magnets having highly-concentrated magnetic fields, a series of feed-belts for the several magnets respectively, said feed-belts discharging the one upon the other, a receiver for heads in proximity to the concentrated field of each magnet, and a cleaner-belt running past the magnets in the same general direction as the feed-belts.

2. A magnetic separator for materials of low magnetic susceptibility, comprising a series of magnets having highly-concentrated magnetic fields, the degree of concentration of the fields ,increasing gradually from the first to the final member of the series, a series of feed-belts for IOO TIO

the several magnets respectively, said feedbelts discharging the one upon the other, a receiver for heads in proximit-y to the concentrated field of' each magnet, and a cleaner-belt running past the magnets in the same general direction as the feed-belts.

3. A magnetic separator for materials of low magnetic susceptibility, comprising aseries of magnets having highly-concentrated magnetic fields, a series of' feed-belts for the several magnets respectively, said feed-belts discharging the one upon the other, mechanism for driving the series of' feed-belts at gradually-decreasing' speeds f'rom the first to the last member of the series, a receiver for heads in proximity to the concentrated field of each magnet, and a cleaner-belt running past the magnets in the same general direction as the f'eedbelts.

4. A magnetic separator for materials of low magnetic susceptibility, comprising a series of magnets having highly-concentrated magnetic fields, a series of' feed-belts for the several magnets respectively, said feed-belts discharging the one upon the other, a receiver for heads in proximity to the concentrated field of' each magnet, and a single cleaner-belt common to all of' the magnets extending longitudinally above the entire series of feed-belts and running past the magnets in the same general direction as the feed-belts.

In testimony whereof` We affix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN PRICE VVETHERiLL. HENRY A. J. WILKENS.

Witnesses:

OsWIN WEINBERGER SHELLY, GEO. H. COREY. 

